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ECU is again hosting the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program. The program consists of a series of eight lectures by academic and professional experts on topics of global significance.

The topic for the session is “China and America: The New Geopolitical Equation,” with John Tucker, Professor, ECU Department of History.

The Great Decisions Program is the oldest and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind in the country. Established in 1954, it is the flagship program of the Foreign Policy Association, a non-partisan, non-governmental organization. The goal of the Great Decisions program is to discuss, debate, and learn about international affairs, national security and U.S. foreign policy.

PLACE: Rivers West Building, Auditorium 105

TIME: 6:00 – 7:30 P.M.

COST: $10.00, but Students, Faculty & Staff Attend for Free!

Drs. Baumgartner & Lockerbie’s “Maybe it is More than a Joke: Satire, Mobilization and Political Participation” will be published in Social Science Quarterly. The analysis examines the relationship between viewing late night political humor and political participation.

The essay shows that viewership of “Late Night with David Letterman,” a simple form of political comedy, seems to be unrelated to political participation. However viewership of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report,” considered by most to be genuine political satire, is associated with higher levels of political participation.

The results suggest that advocates of political satire may be correct when they suggest that satire mobilizes viewers to political action.

Have you ever wondered why it’s so difficult for government to balance the budget? Join ECU faculty, students and the greater Greenville community playing the role of lawmaker in this two-hour activity.

• Evaluate and vote on a wide range of budget proposals involving entitlement programs, defense, health care, discretionary spending and taxes
• Participants will work in small groups to debate and even agonize over decisions about where to spend and cutWill your group’s proposals increase or decrease the deficit?
• In the end, these “congressional committees” will present their budget recommendations to Congressman Walter B. Jones (R), who represents North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District, who will participate in the activity

This budget exercise was developed and has been presented around the country by the non-partisan, non-profit Concord Coalition

The event will be held February 10, 2018, 10:00am-12:00pm, in the Croatan’s Green Room (ECU Main Campus)

ECU’s Department of Political Science and Citizen U program are the on-campus co-sponsors of this engaging activity

The event is free and open to all, but we do ask that you register so we can plan appropriately. Register at: https://orgsync.com/145987/events/2233095/occurrences/5338110

For questions, you may contact:

Alethia Cook

• 252-328-5869
• cooka@ecu.edu

Marjorie Dufek

• 252-249-2233
• NCConcCoal@gmail.com

ECU is again hosting the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program. The program consists of a series of eight lectures by academic and professional experts on topics of global significance.

The topic for the Jan. 30 session is Media and Foreign Policy, with John Howard, Professor, ECU School of Communications.

The Great Decisions Program is the oldest and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind in the country. Established in 1954, it is the flagship program of the Foreign Policy Association, a non-partisan, non-governmental organization. The goal of the Great Decisions program is to discuss, debate, and learn about international affairs, national security and U.S. foreign policy.

PLACE: Rivers West Building, Auditorium 105

TIME: 6:00 – 7:30 P.M.

COST: $10.00, but Students, Faculty & Staff Attend for Free!

ECU Political Science Department Alumni News

Dr. Raymond Williams (POLS BS, 2010) graduated with his PhD in Political Science at the University of Maryland-College Park in December 2017.  His dissertation was entitled “A Simple Twist of the Wrist:  Presidential Usage of Executive Orders and Proclamations in Times of Crisis, 1861-2012.”

Dr. Williams is now working as a research assistant at the Congressional Research Service in Washington, DC.

Congratulations, Dr. Williams, on your accomplishments and we wish you continued success!

If you are an alumnus of the department and have updates or accomplishments you would like to share on our newsfeed, please send the information (with a photo, if you wish) to cooka@ecu.edu.

Dr. Carmine Scavo was quoted in a Washington Post article about Walter B. Jones on 28 December.  The article, “A Republican Deficit Hawk Flies Alone” by Jeff Stein, can be accessed at:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/28/is-this-the-last-deficit-hawk-in-the-republican-party/?utm_term=.f49615e2378e

Congratulations to Dr. Scavo for this national-level exposure!

 

The Department of Political Science and The Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences will host the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program. The program consists of a series of eight lectures by academic and professional experts on topics of global significance.

The Great Decisions Program is the oldest and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind in the country. Established in 1954, it is the flagship program of the Foreign Policy Association, a non-partisan, non-governmental organization. The goal of the Great Decisions program is to discuss, debate, and learn about international affairs, national security and U.S. foreign policy.

On January 16, R. Scott Barker, USAF Col. (Ret) will speak on U.S Global Engagement and the Military.

The event will be held in Rivers West Building (Main Campus), Auditorium 105, from 6:00 – 7:30 P.M. Admission is $10.00.

Dr. Peter Francia and Dr. Jonathan Morris, working through the Center for Survey Research, recently assisted in the completion of a public opinion survey that assessed Greenville residents. The forthcoming research that will follow from the survey is led by Dr. Heidi Bonner in the Department of Criminal Justice.

From November 30 to December 1, 2017, Bonnie G. Mani was a member of East Carolina University’s delegation to a conference related to students’ behavioral health. Dr. Mani joined staff members from ECU’s counseling center, police department, athletic department, advising center, and Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, as well as delegations from all the other constituent universities of the University of North Carolina System, to address concerns for issues like alcohol and drug use, and suicides. The ECU delegation returned to Greenville from the Winston-Salem conference and will develop strategies to address these problems on our campus.

For the past year Dr. John Williams has been part of a select group providing comments , suggestions, and additions to a series of articles by Walter Posch, a colleague who works at the National Defense Institute in Vienna Austria. The articles focus on Middle Eastern issues, such as the politics and status of the Kurds in various countries, the changing fortunes of ISIS, the activities of Shiite militias in the region. One of the more recent ones discussed characteristics of military forces in the region, ranging from armed gangs up to government troops.